Known commercial power mowers are generally divided into three separate categories: self-propelled walk-behind mowers, ride-on mowers operated by a seated occupant, and stand-on mowers operated by a standing occupant.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,733 discloses a typical walk-behind power mower. U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,020 discloses a typical ride-on mower where an operator sits on a seat during mower operation. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,984,031, 5,964,082 and 5,507,138 disclose known stand-on mowers, each of these three patents hereby being incorporated herein by reference.
Unfortunately, the operator of a walk-behind mower must walk during mower operation (unless a sulky is used in conjunction therewith), thereby leading to fatigue. This is a disadvantage of walk-behind mowers, especially in hilly environments. As a result of operator fatigue, mowers controlled by walking operators are generally less productive over extended periods of time.
Conventional ride-on and stand-on mowers also suffer from certain disadvantages which will be apparent to the skilled artisan upon review of the instant specification.
An object of this invention is to provide a power mower where the operator is capable of standing or sitting during different modes of mower operation.
Another object of this invention is to provide a mower designed so that when going up a hill a mower operator can move from a sitting position to a standing position so that the overall center of gravity of the mower can be moved forward to minimize potential for tipping backward.
Another object of this invention is to provide a seat assembly which enables an operator to easily jump off of or abandon the machine.
Another object of this invention is to provide a seat on a mower, where the seat may be folded up into a storage or stowed position when the operator is standing on the mower or when there is a desire to transport or store the mower.
Another object of this invention is to provide a mower including a seat structure which is both comfortable and may be efficiently moved between deployed and non-deployed positions.
Another object of this invention is to provide a deck lift system which lifts an engine deck and a cutter deck together with one another, so that control arms utilized for positioning the deck can be designed to be shorter thereby enabling the deck assembly to be more resistant to negative impacts which may be caused by sideloads.
Yet another object of this invention is to satisfy or fulfill one or more of the above listed objects.
Generally speaking, certain embodiments of this invention fulfill one or more of the above-listed needs and/or objects by providing a self-propelled power lawn mower comprising:
first and second rear drive wheels that are independently driveable so as to enable the to mower to conduct approximate zero radius turns about a zero radius turning axis;
a foot platform for supporting at least one foot of an operator of the mower, said foot platform being located at an elevation less than an elevation of a top edge of at least one of said rear drive wheels;
a selectively deployable seat assembly that can be moved between a deployed position and a stowed or non-deployed position, said seat assembly comprising:
a seat;
first and second pivot axes about which said seat may pivot, each of said first and second pivot axes being located rearwardly of said zero radius turning axis and at an elevation(s) greater than an elevation of an axis of at least one of said rear drive wheels;
wherein said first and second pivot axes are approximately parallel to
one another, and wherein said first pivot axis is at an elevation greater than an elevation of said second pivot axis; and
wherein said seat pivots at least about 45 degrees about said second pivot axis from the deployed position where the operator can sit on the seat to the stowed or non-deployed position.
Certain embodiments of this invention further fulfill one or more of the above-listed objects by providing a self-propelled power lawn mower comprising:
at least one drive wheel;
a cutter deck;
an engine for driving at least one cutting blade;
a selectively deployable seat assembly that can be moved between a deployed position and a stowed or non-deployed position, said seat assembly comprising:
a seat;
a pivot axis about which a seat can pivot, said pivot axis being located at an elevation(s) greater than an elevation of a rotational axis of said drive wheel;
first and second seat support members having a spring at least partially located therebetween, said spring biasing said first seat support member upwardly away from said second seat support member when the seat is in the deployed position; and
wherein said first support member pivots along with said seat about
said pivot axis when the seat is moved between the deployed and stowed positions.
This invention will now be described with respect to certain embodiments thereof, accompanied by certain illustrations, wherein: